DER TRAVELS OF A BARBAREN IN DAS FROZEN TUNDRA

Wow. I cannot describe how thankful to be in a team that honors one of the best barbarians of all time. Of course, this team will be studying nephrology, and we will not be drinking, pillaging, or punching camels. The other group was called the Gladiators, kinda coo, I guess. To be able to work on this project, in conjunction with our history of medicine in Europe class, while in Europe, will be interesting, as we will be able to glean insights into ideas of how we will create our prosthetic kidney. I hope we will see a crazy Roman system of siphoning out kidney waste into tubes that then lead to aqueducts or something, but probably not. Thinking about it, it's amazing how ancient cultures had superstitious methods of medical treatment that had actual scientific proof of healing a patient's ailments. For example, the foxglove that medieval witch doctors, or Dr. Mom's, used to use to treat a weakening heart. This is pretty crazy because who would think to drink foxglove?!??

That was some of the scientific part of my week, now for my travels through frozen tundras and into ancient, gargantuan, churches and train stations. And my travels from my house to Katie's house, which is literally in the middle of nowhere and an hour away from my house, to deliver the vital HDMI cable that would allow the watching of das great CONAN DER BARBAREN, IN WEATHER THAT FROZE THE WEAK AND INTIMIDATED THE TIMID. Everyone who watched that movie owes me. Jk. But really.

So, we went to Koln yesterday and it was tight because the only time I was there was to watch a bundesliga game, so I wasn't able to see the Kolner Dom, the centerpiece of Koln(AKA Cologne). I was also able to experience temperatures that would freeze a lesser man, without a scarf, and I enjoyed a nice gelato while our tour guide's teeth were chattering. This is the way of DER BARBARENS. We travelled around Koln with a tour guide who knew Koln's deepest intricacies and lesser known history. One such lesson we learned was that the people of Koln are fascinated with scatology, according to the Dr. Wasser. A good example was the story the tour guide told about how the citizens of Koln would sometimes secrete their bodily fluids out their windows because they could not make it to their outhouse in time. On a rosier note, word on the street is that Koln has a jammin chocolate museum. Why is there a chocolate museum in Koln? Because they can have one.

After this tour, it was time to conquer and plunder the peaks of the Cathedral of Koln, Kolner Dom. We actually took an elevator to a certain level and didn't climb the highest towers but we did climb a smaller one that was just as beautiful and CHILLY. If the windshield on the ground yesterday was 10 degrees Fahrenheit, then up in the tower it was -10 degrees. It was warmer than this but I will remember to wear more/heavier clothing and a face mask to stay warm.

Image courtesy of Andrea, thanks Andrea.

Also, I think every meal I have here is awesome. The brewery where we had lunch yesterday was superb. TIME TO GO PLUNDER MY HOST FAMILY'S KITCHEN, JA!!!